Second dog - should it be the same sex or opposite sex?
 

Hello,
I am looking into getting a second dog. I have a female Silky Terrier and want to get a Yorkshire Terrier. I was thinking to get another female dog, because my dog seems to get along with the neighbors dog really well that is a female.

But, recently someone told me that a male would get along better with a female dog. What is your opinions on this issue? Does it matter?

Thanks,
Ana

I had a friend who had 2 unaltered males and she had a big problem. I have had more then one female at a time and I currently do now. They get "upset" with each other now and again but not all the time. Most of the time they are great with each other.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

IMO I think any dog seems to get along better with the opposite sex. Less rivalry as far as territory. Also this is probably subject to change dependant upon each said dogs personality. I also believe IMO that the earlier you give them a sibling the less impact it usually has because they kind of grow up together in a sense.

That being said, there are 2 male dogs and 2 female dogs in my house and we have minimal problems..if ever.

Thank you for your reply. My girl is still a puppy. She was just spayed and is 5 months old. So, I take it if I bring the other puppy in early, within another month or so, that it should not matter too much about which sex I choose?

Are male puppies usually harder to housebreak though? Would a male puppy after being neutered be interested in mating with a female spayed puppy? is humping a problem with males that are neutered?
thanks,
Ana

I had 2 little boys and a little girl. My boys were not nuetered because they were show dogs and everyone got along great. I think it all depends on the dog really.

I like boy dogs and will probably get another boy when I get another dog. :)

I know it's considered "safer" to get a male/female combo and I think, in general, it is. But I know my dog and he actually tends to get along with boys better, for the most part. I think as long as both are spayed/neutered at a proper age and socialized and brought up well, problems shouldn't arise. But females are known to fight worse.... boys scuffle, girls go out to kill each other, in my experience with dog fights. Girls also hold more grudges, lol. But I think it depends on the breed, too. Some breeds are more prone to same sex aggression.

I am thinking about the same thing. I want to add another pup to our family. I am looking for another YT and have been for days and days. But if I have to settle I will do so with a AKC registered Maltese with full breeding rights.

My parents have two females and while the dogs get along fine, never any fighting, are always left alone together, will play, they don't really LOVE each other- they lay on opposite sides of the couch type of thing.

I have a boy and a girl and they are always laying right next to each other, will sit and just lick each other for hours.

Obviously just getting along is the most important thing but I love seeing mine really love each other.

WAIT! When did you meet Chloe?! :p

I was wondering, do you think a male dog would be more domineering over the female dog? or would two females have the same risk of territorial/dominance?

Are males harder to house train due to territorial pee-pee issues? or is that just a myth?

I can only speak from the personal experience I have had. Everyone's is different.

IME males (my moms) were/are harder to "housebreak". Also yes, one of her neutered males still tries to "hump" on my girls. He does it to the other male dog too! :eek: It's a dominance thing so I have heard.

May I ask why your are having a hard time finding another Yorkie? Is it the availability in your area? or did you not meet the right one?

I am kind of scared that if I buy a male and neuter it it may still try to have sex with my female? can this happen? I mean if the males still hump, would it still try to do "it"?

There are questionable breeders and I am not satisfied with a local one who is a "local breeder". The breeders I have looked into are a long distance away.

My female is the dominant one- so it just depends on how the two personalities mesh, I don't think gender plays a role.

Again, my male is much more reliable then my female, my male is 100% potty trained where my female will still have accidents every now and then.

Also the local breeder is a commercial breeder. To me that is a red flag!

I hope you didn't take my inquisition the wrong way. I am curious because I am trying to learn about somethings that I should look for in a breeder. Would you ever buy a dog from a breeder with CKC registrations, even if the puppy looks like a purebred at 12 weeks?

I dont have a clue about CKC registrations at all. My YT Minnie is APRI registered. She is pure bred. I have seen her parents and am still in contact with the lady til this day. I did not take offense to it. Here is an example of what I consider to be a "red flag" Santo Hill Kennel

I like opposites especially after reading on here the problems with the same sex together.

I am a dogsitter and have watched over 15 male dogs over the past two years ranging from Boxers to Rottweilers to Chihuahua's.... all of them were neutered around the 6 month mark and all of them except one squat to pee and do not mark at ALL, lol. They were all potty trained very easily. The only male dog I know who tries to hump other dogs is my aunt's Pit Bull.

Jackson will lift his leg outdoors but it's not excessive and he still squats to pee at home. He's never lifted a leg in anyone's home or in our own. He was potty trained very reliably by 5 months old. The Rottweiler I watch is now over a year old and squats to pee and I've never seen him lift his leg or mark on anything, and that goes for all the other boy dogs I watch (it seems most people I watch for have males... lol).

Jackson will occasionally hump his special teddy bear and I'll let him... but it's something I can easily take away from and it's never been a big issue. He's never tried to hump another dog or a person. However, my dads female dog humps all the time! Lol.

It's just funny to me... everyone always worries about male dogs it seems like and I've NEVER experienced one who has the so called typical 'male traits'. I grew up with female dogs and am fairly certain I will never have one again. I love all dogs and will always love my childhood dogs... but I just have a better connection w/ male dogs.

Just wondering why you would consider this a red flag? I see that some of the dogs weights are standard or above and not the best looking breeding stock but I do not see anything that shouts red flag. I am under the impression that APRI is like CKC Continental Kennel Club (not to be confused with the Canadian Kennel Club) and is more of a BYB and/or commercial breeder registry. The AKC is a more reliable registry and the YTCA is even more concerned with proper breeding standards and practices. My Buster is CKC and I did not bother to fill out the papers. That is what I have been led to believe but I would love to learn more. I will be definitely approaching getting my next dog differently with a lot more research and due diligence on my part.

My male is three years old and neutered. We don't have problems with marking. He almost always squats to pee. When he lifts his leg, it's usually because he is mimicking another dog. He is very well potty-trained, lets me know when he needs to go outside, and uses a piddle pad when I am not home.

We also don't have problems with humping. Levi has never once tried to mount/hump another dog. He definitely has never tried to mate/tie/"have sex"/"do it" with any dog. I have occasionally seen him try to hump an oversized stuffed animal, but when I say his name, he immediately walks away.

He isn't territorial at all - he is friendly and social and loving.

I've heard two females don't mesh well. But always exceptions to every rule
Ive had success with two males and male in female. Never tried two females

They will still try occassionally, but it's usually more a dominance issue than anything else. My little female has been known to try and mount her brother if he steals her toys too often.

Over my lifetime, I've had all females, all males and mixes. I've always found that it is more the personality of the dogs that matter more than the sexes. Of course, all of mine have been spayed/neutered to minimize hormonally driven problems.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do.

I have 2 girls, one is spayed the other will be spayed soon.. they adore each other, they get into little "fights" but they can't be away from each other for too long... so... i think 2 of the same sex is ok!! :)

I have always had female pets (My motto just to be funny has always been "Boys are gross!" LOL :) Until I feel in love with Brayden that is ;) ) I have never had any aggression issues with any of my yorkies, male or female.

IMO...it just depends on the dog. My yorkie, Bevo is apparently the most "stuck up" yorkie on earth!! We just added a new male and he will not even look his direction. He could care less whether he was male or female (his momma is here too and has been or the last 9 weeks, and he wont give her a secong glance either)..... I think females would tend to fight more than 2 males, but really...i dont have a clue!!! LOL!!! Good luck!

I have 2 girls as well. Bridget was almost a year old when Greta came to us. The girls birthdays are within 3 days of each other so they are the same age, and within 3 lbs of each other. I thought I'd have a problem with Briget because she is/was so posessive of everything. She still is to an extent, but they seem to have set their ground rules. I "think" Bridget would be considered the "alpha", but when they play/wrestle, Greta always gets Bridget on her back (it may be that Bridget "lets" that happen) and the noises that come out of them, well you'd think they were killing each other! Bridget will steal Greta's treat, but Greta is very laid back and usually won't put up a fight, unless it happens to be her favorite, then there's a growling match, just to let Bridget know she's gone too far. They really get along great and I couldn't have asked for a better match. Oh, yes they are both spayed. As far as the "humping" (maybe someone already mentioned this), I was told it's a dominance thing - not sexual. My girls, (mostly Greta) will hump Bridget, and the cats if they're in her way....now there's a sight!

Good luck in which ever way you decide to go - there are a few threads here that will give you pointers on introducing a new fur-kid into your home. I read them and they really helped a lot!

I have 5 girls...none related and from all over the USA. Kissy was my first and she was an only child for 5 years before i got Angel. they had 3 major fights but i separated them for 15 minutes in separate rooms and after the 3rd time, they NEVER had another fight to this day. I have added #3, #4 and #5 and never had another issue with any of them. Mine range from 10 years - 3 years old and from 3 lbs. - 6.5 lbs.
Good luck! I hope you find the perfect little baby. I agree, the sooner, the better so they will grow up together since your first one is still young. She will love having some company her own size. I think yorkies do best when they have other fursiblings to play with. They do not like to be left alone! ;)
p.s. All of mine except Kissy were brought into the pack after they were grown. Kissy is the only one that i raised from a puppy so don't think you have to start with another puppy unless you just want to. :D The yorkie rescues are full of purebred yorkies that are looking for forever homes.

Both my vet and my Breeder recommended the opposite sex combo for us. We had never been a multi-dog houseshold; and I was extremely nervous about how Ringo would be.

This is supposed to be the easiest and 'safest' combination, especially for those of us who are novices to owning more than one pet.

This was actually our only option because Ringo does NOT do well with other male dogs.

Good Luck!